What's the Difference Between the Helms Amendment and the Global Gag Rule?

July 31, 2014

What's the Difference Between the Helms Amendment and the Global Gag Rule?

Have you ever heard of the Helms Amendment? How about the Global Gag Rule? They’re both harmful U.S. policies that prevent women from getting the reproductive care they need. But how are they different?

The Helms Amendment restricts funding for abortion related activities. The Global Gag Rule actually places a requirement on clinics in developing countries: if the clinic is going to receive any U.S. funding, it must not offer any abortion services, employees of the clinic must not advocate for the legalization of abortion in their country, and doctors cannot refer patients seeking abortions to another clinic that might offer abortion services.